Digimon Anniversary: Memoirs of Victory
by Sonfaro
Summary: Anniversary-Verse When a figure from his past comes calling, Tai Kamiya must revert to a darker place to save the continent of Folder from destruction. But how long can he hold out his secrets from his friends? Does he even want to?
1. Memoir One: Symbols

**What has come before...**

_**Anniversary Back-story:**_ The following tale takes place several months after the events of Year 2 of Digimon Anniversary. For those of you who don't want to wade through the fic and its subsidiaries to understand what's happening, here is a brief review of the events.

_**Year 1 & 2:**_ Following the final defeat of Diaboromon/Armageddomon, the Digidestined decide to start the annual Anniversary tradition, a few days lounging around the campsite where the original Digidestined's journey began as well as a night of remembrance for those they'd lost on the way. During this time, the chief concern amongst the Odaiba Digidestined is the arrival of the extremist group HADD – Humans Against Digital Demons. The Digidestineds biggest problem in combatting HADD is their terrible public image, as Digimon have been linked to human related disasters since the early nineties. Currently, the Digidestined have decided to begin an active crusade to change all that. Though this plan is easier said than done...

* * *

**DIGIMON ANNIVERSARY**

**Memoirs of Victory**

_By Sonfaro_

_Memoir One: Symbols_

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**

* * *

_December 17th, 2004_

_7:38pm_

_(Odaiba Middle-School Soccer feild)_

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".

Sora Takenouchi swats her boyfriend in the arm. "Don't say that." She tells him. "I haven't looked for gifts for anybody yet".

Matt Ishida blinks behind his dyed blonde bangs. "Not even mine?"

Sora narrows her eyes seductively. "Well, I have something special planed for you…"

It's at this point that I clear my throat to remind my two perverted friends that I'm sitting right beside them. Sora blushes and turns back to the game, while Matt glares daggers through my skull from his position across from her. I grin devilishly. Hookup terminated.

We're sitting amongst our friends. The second generation Digidestined sit below us, hooting an hollering, while the three of us sit a little further back, relaxing together and snacking on our overpriced food. It's a cold day, but not so horrible that we can't enjoy a good year end soccer game between two rivals before school lets out for Christmas break this year.

I turn back to the game playing out before us. The Shinjuku Raiders against the Odaiba Tigers. Or, as it's more commonly known for us, Ken Ichijouji against Davis Motomiya. The last two years Ken's team has bested Davis', but the games have become extremely competitive, and one or the other often ends up with a bloody lip or a bruised knee. They tell me its the best feeling in the world. It is. I remember it.

Ah, the glory that is soccer.

"Tai." Sora nudges me out of my day dream.

"Hmm?"

She motions to a woman in front of us. "HADD."

I frown, following her gaze. Strapped to the womans arm is a band with the words 'one world' written across in green, beneath a symbol representing the group. Instinctively the three of us adjust our attire so that our digivices are hidden and keep an eye on her. Matt frowns. "Do you think she noticed us?"

I shake my head. "No."

"I think Ken said she's the mom for one of the defenders on his team."

"Really?" Sora sounds disgusted.

I blink. "They don't know he's a Digidestined?"

Matt shakes his head in the negative. "Nope. He's good at keeping secrets."

I frown. _Humans Against Digital Demons_. They'd sprung up the year before, following the Chrysalimon crisis at Tomodatchi. Religious extremists, biologists. Punks mostly. College kids with a lot of ego, a lot of fear, and a lot of anger. Now however, even the parents are becoming more and more interested in the movement, which makes me worried.

"We should have brought the Digimon." I hear Matt snarl under his breath. "Sent a message."

"Today was about Davis and Ken. Remember?" Sora lays a hand on his knee. "They don't need anymore distractions. Besides, It's been a while since the three of us hung out together.

There are reasons for that, but I don't say anything.

We keep our eye on the HADD lady, but little comes of it. Purhaps she'd just come from one of their meetings. Or purhaps she was a hateful old woman. Either way, there was nothing we could do right here, right now. Best lay low. And after a while, we relax.

At that moment my D-Terminal buzzes, breaking my thoughts away. Instinctively I reach into my pocket, thinking little of it. Izzy had mentioned wanting to talk about rules and procedures regarding _blahblahblah_… honestly, Izzy goes on and on about things few of us care about. Davis has the ball at his feet and is racing through defender after defender on his way towards the goal. Ken is keeping good time. I take my eyes off the game with the full intent to look up again as soon as possible.

My heart stops for a moment.

_Who are you?_

_-SIGMA_

I'm not sure why, but the cold feeling that I usually get when something bad happens shoots up my spine and makes my hairs stand on end. Something about this simple message has my face contorted in confusion. A wicked sense of déjà vu hits me like a truck. I wrap my fingers around the Digivice strapped to my belt.

"You okay?"

Ever perceptive, Matt gives me a frown that lets me know he's worried. I shake the feeling a little. "It's probably nothing."

"Mm?"

"Weird email." I tell him. "I'll sort it all out when I'm back home."

Matt frowns, clearly concerned. "What's up Tai?"

"It's alright." I tell him after a smile. He frowns in my direction but then Ken steals the ball back and his attention shoots back to the game. I wish I could do the same.

I look down at my D-Terminal. A few simple kanji on a flat LCD screen send shivers up my spine. Not so much the message really, though that too is rather ominous. It's the sender whose signature has my heart pumping a little harder than usual. With nervous reservations I type a response.

_Who is this?_

_-Kamiya01_

Seconds tick by before my mysterious admirer responds.

_You know._

_-SIGMA_

The hairs of my arm stand on end. Furiously, I type back.

_No I don't. What do you want?_

_-Kamiya01_

There is a roar from the crowd around me, and my eyes dart from the small screen to see that Ken has stolen the ball. The unease I feel has left me numb to the game I love. My D-Terminal buzzes, and my eyes glue themselves to the screen to see what my mystery admirer has sent me.

_Meet me at the FacTry Mart building, 11pm, downtown._

_-SIGMA_

And then:

_Come alone._

_-SIGMA_

I bite my lip in wonder. The FacTry Mart building had been abandoned years ago when the company shipped its assets overseas to America – taking my friend Mimi Tachikawa and her family with it. The building itself has never been reopened. Cautiously, I type a final message to my admirer.

_Really… Who is this?_

_-Kamiya01_

What I get in response, seconds later, chills me to the core.

_You know._

_-SIGMA_

"Tai?"

Her voice jolts me from my focus. I turn my head to find Sora Takenouchi staring at me. "Are you alright?" She asks with genuine concern.

"Uh…yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I mutter with convictions even I don't believe.

"You've been pretty quiet", Matt frowns beside her.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Yeah what gives?"

"An… Old friend invited me to a party."

Sora's mouth widens like a Cheshire cat, veiled interest already bubbling behind brown sugar eyes. "An '_old friend_', huh?" She practically purrs. She's definitely been talking to Mimi too much. "What's _her_ name?"

I frown. "What makes you think it's a she?"

"I told you." Matt mumbles to Sora. "Totally _yaoi_."

I grin seductively. "Only for you _Matty_."

A hand on his mouth keeps Matt from retorting. Sora doesn't like me keeping secrets from her, and when she finds out about them she doesn't let go easy. "Who is it then? Somebody from our old soccer days?"

"No."

"Camp?"

"Who do I hang out from camp aside from you guys?"

"Alright then…" she crosses her arms, a curious look on her face. "Who is it?"

"You wouldn't know him."

Sora frowns. "I know all your friends."

I hesitate. Images are flooding through my mind. _A kid in a lab coat and a faceless mask._

"Not… all of them."

She blinks in confusion. "I don't?"

"You know I have friends of my own, right?" I glance at her with mock sympathy. "You don't know everything about me."

That hurts her a little more than I wanted it too, but I can't take my words back now. We watch the rest of the game in relative silence, as Ken's effective strategy slowly but surely whittles away at the fiery heart of Davis.

_December 17th, 2004_

_10:48pm_

___(The Streets of Odaiba)_

I'm walking towards the old FacTry Mark building a few blocks from school. If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late. Late for what? Now, that's the question worth a million-yen. Whatever happens though, I think I've got to do this alone. My past has caught up with me. My dark past. Guess I should have brought a flashlight.

Matt's right though. It is beginning to look like Christmas. The stars are beginning to come out through the dark blue sky, twinkling down on this world of ours. There's a light breeze washing over the back of my neck, and I'm sure we'll be getting snow pretty soon. Someone even thought to drape some lights over the power lines down the street. That must have been awful dangerous.

I'm thinking about Sora again.

She's going to be ticked off at me. I can already see her hazelnut brown eyes blazing like a fire while her clenched fists desperately want to punch me, and my arm already aches from the coming strike. Sora doesn't like it when people are intentionally guarded with her: which is weird to me, seeing as she's the girl who likes to keep all her hopes and fears bundled beneath a smile. _That pretty smile of hers…_

Focus Tai.

I have to. This mystery person I'm meeting hasn't revealed much about himself, but he has sent me something – evidence that he knows more about me than I'm comfortable with.

Why else would he sign his message SIGMA?

I bite my lip. The wind chill has gotten colder, making the hairs on my neck stand on end. My gut is telling me that something is very wrong. I can't put my finger on it. Yet.

But I will.

I'm almost at the entrance of the old laboratory when _one of them_ steps on a twig behind me. I sigh and come to a stop. I guess I should say something – I can only play nice with them for so long. "Oi, you can stop following me now."

I hear a yelp and the sound of rustling leaves, followed by low obscenities from a deeper voice. I sigh again and turn around. There stands Matt, looking miserable and tugging against a pair of hands sprouting from within a bush; desperately trying to keep his jacket out of the sticks. Discovered, the hands let go of him and rise with the rest of the human body they're attached to. Sora gives me a sheepish look, while tugging the twigs out of her hair. "Uh… hi there Tai. Fancy meeting you out here…"

"How long have you known we've been following you?" Matt doesn't even try to defend himself.

"A couple blocks," I answer. "You two got into an argument about whether I could hear your Matt's shoes or not – I totally could for your information. Also, one of you should learn how to actually whisper."

"Mm…" Matt glares.

I ignore him. "This is totally stalking by the way."

"S-sorry," Sora says as she brushes the final leaf from her jacket.

"Sora was worried about you," Matt states bluntly, before coughing when Sora's fist pops him in the stomach. "Er, _we_ were worried about you."

I frown. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Nn…. Are you sure?" Sora asks me with a skeptical gaze. "You never take your eyes of a soccer game. Especially not one with your friends in it."

"You looked distracted," Matt grunts.

"I'm fine."

"Let me rephrase that. You looked like you were going to do something foolish."

"Mm…" I glare, but Sora steps in between us before another of our arguments kicks up.

"C'mon Tai, we're friends. You can talk to us."

I avert my eyes for a minute. "…Not this time."

Matt frowns. "Why not?"

"What secret are you keeping that's so sinister you can't tell your best friends?" Sora pouts.

I hesitate. "Look, an old friend of mine from a bad time may need my help and he asked me to come alone. Please?" They fall silent, looking to eachother for an answer. I sigh, staring up at the moon. "If you're really my friends, you'll let me do this on my own. Just trust me. Okay?"

_December 17th, 2004_

_11:01pm_

___(The FacTry Mart Building)_

"Ominous."

"You're telling me."

I glare at the back of their heads, easing the door of the FacTry mart building closed and hoping the police don't notice us breaking in. "Oi, some friends you two are."

They both ignore me, pulling out their digivices from their pocketbook and belt loop respectively and holding them up in the air. In time the systems within the mystic device churn on and a light shines from the screen, along with a faint whine we've all come to know and love/be annoyed by. I sigh and raise my own device, giving us a better look at what we're dealing with.

The FacTry mart was a high end electronics store from way back when, featuring PC's before PC's were even popular as well as being responsible for providing Odaiba and the surrounding areas with the first few Pineapple Pads. But that was a long time ago. Other, better stores had taken over their market and last I heard they're intrests had been sold to various buisnesses. I'm not sure why my admirer would want me here. I have no connection to it outside of my father buying the family computer here. Whoever this guy is isn't making his motives clear.

"It's cold." Sora shivers, wrapping her arms around her.

Matt says nothing, instead taking his bubble jacket off and wrapping it around her shoulders. It's a sweet gesture, and she rewards him with a smile and a quick peck on the cheek. They look so happy. It kinda sickens me.

I clear my throat, looking for some way not to be the bad guy here. "Listen you two. This is as far as we can go together alright?"

"No. Not alright." Matt frowns as he turns to me.

"We're with you no matter what." Sora nods.

"I don't even know what this '_what'_ is." I try to explain. "For all I know this could be a trap."

"Oh no," Matt says. "You're not getting rid of us that easily."

"If your in trouble just tell us."

"I'm not in trouble."

She takes one look in me and frowns. "I don't believe you," she states matter-of-factly and turns on her heel, nose held high. Matt sighs and gives me a partially sympathetic look but follows. And after a while, so do I. Wonderful

"Hello?"

"Anybody here?"

"Hello!"

Nothing. Only the lonely echo from our mouths as it bounces from wall to wall. I bite my lip, confused. This was the place alright. So where was my secret admirer?

"This place gives me the creeps." Matt announces.

I nod. "Tell me about it."

Sora huffs and after searching one last time turns to me with that 'told-you-so' expression that I hate so much. "Tai, there's no one here."

Matt nods. "Looks like this was all a wild goose chase."

I clear my throat and glare. "Maybe had I come alone he would've…"

"Wait, what's that?"

I blink and turn to where Matt is pointing. There on the far wall is a large computer screen. I don't know how I missed it: honestly, I could have sworn there was a bare wall here only moments before. The screen itself is dark with a blue twinge to it. A single white cursor blinks on and off, waiting for someone to give it a command.

Sora blinks. "It looks like, some kinda monitor…"

"Yeah but… FacTry mart was supposed to take all its stuff with it… right?" Matt scratches the back of his head.

I frown, taking a closer look. "What is it doing here?" I ask as I reach out and touch the screen.

Suddenly the screen flashes to life. An image of the three of us, silhouettes in a darkened room, pops onto the monitor like a flash form a camera. I look around to see where the security cam is, but can see none. Not at this angle. The screen then does something strange. White lines intersect it like latitude and longitude, running across our faces; first Sora, then Matt. When it gets to me however, a grid forms around my body and a red light beeps on the side. Just underneath my picture, words type themselves out to us.

YAGAMI TAICHI. VICTORY TAMER, FIRST CLASS.

"Yagami?" Asks Matt.

I nod. "Moms maiden name. She tacked it onto mine when I was born. Kinda a middle name I guess."

"Taichi Yagami Kamiya?"

Sora blinks. "You didn't know that?"

Matt frowns and shakes his head. "No."

I bite my lip, peering closer at the screen. "Why is it calling me Yagami?"

"And whats this about Tamers?" Questions Sora. "It thinks we're Tamers?"

Matt shakes his head agian. "Not us. Tai."

I'm about to respond to that when the computer begins typing again. When it finishes I start to realize just what kind of trouble I'm in. And just how much I've dragged my friends into. In just a few simple kanji, the computer tells me everything I need to know.

WELCOME TO FOLDER.

Suddenly that feeling of dread knots up my stomach again. "Oh no."

"What?"

I swivel on my heel, catching both Matt and Sora by the shoulders and pushing them back towards the door. "C'mon," I panic, "we have to get out of-"

I can't finish my sentence. A sudden gust of wind nearly knocks us over. I turn swiftly back to the monitor widened eyes. That's no ordinary gust.

"That wind." Sora cries.

"You felt it too?" Matt asks.

She nods, gathering Matt's jacket around her shoulders. "What is going-"

And then they see it too: circle after circle after endless circle leading down a tunnel of light. We've seen this many, many times. We know it well.

"A digital gate!" Cries Matt as the wind around us builds and builds.

Sora gasps. "Here?"

"Quick," I order desperately. "Grab on to something!"

But by then it's already too late. The wind becomes unbearable, forcing us closer to the monitor until we are no longer even on our feet. The gate has us locked in its clutches, and once a gate is open there's really no way to fight it. In moments the three of us are in the air, shooting towards the computer at a high velocity and towards the unknown.

Towards a land they call _Folder_.

* * *

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**


	2. Memoir Two: Shades

**DIGIMON ANNIVERSARY**

**Memoirs of Victory**

_By Sonfaro_

_Memoir Two: Shades_

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**

* * *

_July 22nd, 2000_

_(11:03pm Japanese Time - 9:03am GCST [Golden City Standard Time])_

_(Digiworld - Folder)_

_Eyes shoot open. Sun shining. Rough ground underneath butt. Large horned animal with razor sharp claws and scales the lightest shade of blue staring back with chocolate brown eyes._

_It rumbles. "Hi."_

_"WAH!" First response. Woke to a monster. Natural reaction to run._

_"Wait!"_

_Monster doesn't give chase. Trots behind for a while though. Tries to calm. Apparently not hungry._

_Confusion fills head. It had been night when the message appeared. Now it is morning, and everything is a strange color. There is a talking monster in a desert. Means only one thing._

_Digiworld._

_"Don't be afraid. I'm your Digimon…" A name is given. The monster smiles._

_"My Digimon?" Panic. Confusion. "N-no, Agumon is my partner."_

_"You got an Agumon too?" Jealousy. A joke with a twinge of hurt. "You really are special, aren't you?"_

_Mouth opens to speak, doesn't know the words. Shakes head. Easy question. "Where am I?"_

_A grunt. Blue and white scales ripple across huge, muscular arms. Wide grin showing teeth like steak knives._

_"You really don't know?" A laugh, bellowing and terrible. "Well partner you're in the middle of the warzone. Welcome to Folder!"_

_December 18th, 2004_

_Time Unknown_

_(Location Unknown)_

I wake up to sunshine.

I groan, adjusting myself on the rough, barren earth beneath me until I'm sitting upright. The sun is beating down on me, the heat sizzling my skin. My head hurts, a result of a forced digiport jump no doubt. I don't know about the dream though. No, that wasn't just a dream. That was a memory. One I haven't revisited in so long.

I dust myself off and rise to my feet. Matt and Sora couldn't have landed too much farther away, and they're going to need my help.

Finding them out here is going shouldn't be too much trouble. The area I landed in is mostly desert, with lots of rock formations jutting out of the ground at weird angles that could only exist in the digital world. A quick check with my Digivice tells me little though; except that something…or someone is jamming me. Something that knows I'm here.

I unzip my long coat and lift it over my head to shield me from the digital suns death rays. There's a hill within visual range, a few meters away from a deep trench in the ground. I should be able to see for at least a kilometer or two from there. I need to get my barring. And more importantly; Matt and Sora are still out there somewhere. Time to get walking.

_December 18th, 2004_

_Ten Minutes Later_

_(Location Unknown)_

It takes a few minutes of rough terrain to make it up the hill. My feet are killing me. But at least I made it. I lift my jacket again over my head to sheild myself and lend my skin some shade. In the distance I can see what appears to be a castle of some sort, worn down by sand storms and an epic battle that must have happened here long ago. I wince underneath my makeshift canapé and search for signs of life; footprints, movement… bodies.

I don't see bodies, thankfully. What I do see is something in the sand approaching me at a high speed.

Its big whatever it is, tearing up the dry earth on a straight line with me. At this speed, if it breaks, it'll slam into me in a matter of seconds. My natural instinct is to run.

Something catches me before I can though, pulling me down the hill.

"Get down!" I hear. I tumble a little before a second arm catches my shoulders and keeps me from rolling down the hill. I take a look at my 'hero'.

"Matt!"

"Shh."

I say no more. We both look out to where the fast moving object is. Suddenly a bullet shaped figure bursts from the sand, teeth and eyes pale and dangerous. It's huge, bigger than a trolley. It's scales are a sickly shade of blue that seems almost depressing. It moans as it breaches, a rumble that sounds like a diluted horn in the distance. And just as soon as it rises from the sands, it crashes again, bullet shaped head cutting through the earth until the whole body of this giant snake has disappeared.

We wait a few seconds more for the creature to approach, but it does not appear to have seen us. Or if it has, it's ignored us completely. Thank goodness for small favors.

"Finally," Matt breathes a sigh of relief. "It's gone."

I shake my head. "What was that thing?"

He shrugs, knocking dirt off his coat jacket. "I don't know. It looked like a Seadramon but…"

"Flowing through sand?"

"Nn…"

I frown, looking around for the third member of our party. "…Where's Sora?"

Suddenly Matt's whole demeanor changes and his already pale skin turns a shade of white. "I was hoping you knew."

I shake my head. "I was just looking for you two when - "

"ARGH!"

The scream can only belong to one person. Matt and I share a glance.

"Sora!"

"C'mon!"

We round the corner, in the direction the sound is coming from. It takes us a minute to find her, seated alone in the sand clutching at her mini-skirt and glaring in the distance. She doesn't look hurt, which is a good thing. She does look really, _really_ ticked, which is not.

"Sora, are you –"

"There you two are," she snaps a little at our approach. "I didn't see you land, I was worried."

Matt is beside her in a moment. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

She shakes her head. "No. I'm fine. There was… something out there."

"What do you mean something?"

"A… head or something. The little perv was just staring."

I blink. "Perv?"

"Yeah. I didn't exactly land in a flattering position." She says that with both hands firmly between her legs, eyes furrowed in annoyance. She turns her head up to Matt and glares at him. "And you wonder why I hate wearing mini-skirts."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Really, we're going to argue about that right now? I thought you were hurt. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Sora grumbles but stops nagging him. "I'm fine… thank you hon. I can handle perverted Digimon, I just didn't _expect_ him. That's all."

I bite my tongue, surveying the distance. "You sure it was a Digimon?"

She blinks. "Well… yeah. What else could it have been?"

I don't say anything for a little while before nodding. "I guess you're right."

Matt looks at me funny before offering his girlfriend a hand. "Can you stand?"

She nods and reaches up to him. Before he can pull her from the earth though the sound of a distilled horn echoes in the distance. I catch Matt by the shoulders and force him back down to his knees, the three of us tumbling into one another.

"Ow!"

"Shh!"

He obeys once the monster trumpets again, its voice travelling across the sands. The three of us don't move, trying desperately not to give the monster out there any reason to come find us. When a few more seconds have past and we haven't been eaten I let go of the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Sora sounds horrified. "What is that?"

"Theres a Digimon out there," Matt explains. "Big one."

"Well… What's it doing out there?"

I frown. We can't hide out here forever, and while a Seadramon by itself is dangerous and unpredictable, something about it's cries ring… sad. Like the monster out there is pleading for help. I can't just sit here and do nothing.

"Only one way to find out." I grunt, landing on my stomach and begin crawling away from my friends and up the hill.

"Tai!"

I ignore them, climbing to the top of the hill once again. At the top I set myself on my knees, lifting my jacket over my head to shield my eyes from sunlight. The creature has emerged again, it's scales shinning a tint of silver with a dead hue. Its head shakes in the sun, dead eyes making it hard to tell what we're looking for.

By now, both Matt and Sora cross behind my shoulders, kneeling just beside me. We stare in awe as the monster fully extends itself out of the sand, the sounds of its roar echoing across the desert.

"Over there!"

I turn to where Sora is pointing, not sure what I'm about to find. In the distance another mound of sand is rising, a monstrous figure just beneath. Matt takes the words right out of my mouth. "Another one?"

I don't get to respond. Rising from the sand is another monster, just as big. Its skin is a deep charcoal grey, with streaks of dark blue running down its flank. From its back juts sharp, blade-like spines, glistening in the sunlight. It's lengthy tail undulates in the air, a series of spikes jutting from the tip. It stands on all fours, its spine apparently too heavy to stand erect. Its roar is a church bell tolling across the desert sands.

"What is that?"

I shake my head. "I don't know… an… an evil Godzilla?"

Before my friends can tell me how silly that answer was, the two monsters collide, the snake biiting at the armored creatures fore-leg, and it's rival pawing at its throat. They're evenly matched, their brutality both shocking and beautiful at once. The four legged beast can't break through the blue/silver of the snake, whose attempts to wrap around him prove fruitless time and again.

The Sand-Seadramon creature eventually lets go of its target, it's roar turning to a hiss as steam pours from its nostrils. It lets loose a blast from its beak, a stream of what appears to be burning oil shooting across the desert and onto the bladed beasts back. It hunkers down, despite what should bring enormous pain withstanding the blast. Seeing this, the serpant howls again into the air and tries to turn tail. However, even as it does so, the four legged beast opens its bladed mouth…

And then blue lightning cracks across the air.

We feel the wind from the impact from here. It sends a shockwave up the sand dunes and the three of us tumbling. It takes us a second to right ourselves, and by the time we climb back up to view the results the entire battle is over.

The desert dragon was hit directly, it's body twitching and breaking apart. The four legged monstrosity that won the battle roars a victory, it's horned head pointing to the heavens in triumph. The sand dragon has been defeated, bits and pieces of data flowing into the air and, hopefully, headed to a primary. With one final moan, the huge monster crashes into the desert floor, sending a wave of sand racing in all directions.

The sand storm is quick, but vicious. The three of us batten down as close to the ground as we can, eyes shut, trying not to flinch as the tiny grains of sand beat against out skin like bullets. When the dust finally settles we shake ourselves clear and look up. The victor is gone, the huge monster seemingly vanishing in thin air. All that remains of the fight is the dying dragon and the damage they caused.

I gulp. "What power."

Matt nods. "At least an Ultimate. Easy."

"At least we know we're in the Digiworld." Sora sighs.

"Yeah, but _where_? That's the thing." Matt muses as he pulls out his D-Terminal. "This doesn't look like Server."

"Or File."

They ponder it for a second. And then they turn to me.

"…"

"Tai?"

I feign innocence. "What?"

"You're making that face again."

"What face?"

Sora pouts. "The 'I know something but I'm not telling 'cause I'm a stupid jerk' face."

I frown. "I'm not a jerk."

"…"

"Or stupid!"

Sora rolls her pretty little eyes and giggles. "Uh huh."

Matt shushes us again. "Hey. No arguing. Is anybody getting a signal from the real world?"

"…Nn… No."

Matt bites his lip. "Something's interfering with my D-Terminal."

Sora frowns, pulling her D-Terminal out and fussing with the console. "Mine too."

"We're being jammed," I tell them.

"By who? Who still has the technology to do that?"

That I can't really answer. Well I can, but the guess is so far fetched that its ridiculous. It can't really be them… Can it?

"Hey, something's moving by the Sand-Seadramon thing."

I shake my mind from the past when Sora lifts her voice and I turn to look. In the distance are small little blue creatures, scurrying about the corpse. They look like giant t-rex heads plastered onto tiny little chicken legs. They sniff around the body a while longer before their heads point skywards, and a shrill cry bellows from within them. I can't see them too well from here, but it almost looks like they're crying.

"What the heck are those things?" Matt frowns, looking up from his D-Terminal. "I can't get a reading."

Sora bites her lip. "That's them. That head that was staring at me. It was one of them."

Matt furrows his brows. "They look like… little blue Agumon. Maybe… a subspecies?"

I nod. "Probably."

Sora blinks as the group of small Digimon begin surveying the area. "Where are their arms?"

"Don't know."

Matt whistles, shaking his head at their numbers as they begin to trot away from the all but gone wreckage of dissipating data. "It's like a pack of them… "

Sora blinks. "They're uh… _Packing_ this way!"

I blink in alarm. She's right. Somewhere along the way the group of heads with legs turned towards us, sprinting across the barren land at an incredible speed. Without a word the three of us turn tail and start running, no real plan in motion, just hoping to find something before we're swarmed by the little things. They're on us in moments, their little legs thundering along the ground around us. They don't attack. In truth they look more terrified of us than we do of them. But they don't stop running, and if we're not careful we could be trampled.

One of the monsters bumps into Sora's leg, and she almost falls headlong. Matt is there to catch her. He takes her hand in his and the two don't let go. I look away for a minute, trying to collect myself as I run. Ahead, I see the trench in the distance. I have an idea. "Follow me!" I shout to my companions over the shrieking Digimon. They don't respond, but I know they understand.

The little monsters keep shrieking around us, even as I leap into the trench. It's two and a half meters deep, and I don't land comfortably. But at least I'm out of the way. I extend my hand out to my friends who, desperately dance around the stampeding Digimon. "Jump!"

They do as told, no questions. They land one after the other, stepping awkwardly aroung the rocks as the monsters rush above. The three of us huddle together as body after blue body leaps across the trench and keeps running. At least we know the really weren't after us.

Which means something out there spooked them.

I don't have time to ponder whether the giant mutant dinosaur was responsible for scaring off the little mutant dinosaurs before they're all gone. All that remains of them is the sound of their shrieks And the thumping of their clawed feet against the earth. And in time that too fades. Leaving only us.

"That… was a close one." I huff.

Matt shakes his head, sweat pouring down his brow. "I've never… seen Digimon… run like that."

"I know…" I say.

"We still… don't know… what they are." He pants.

"We still… haven't answered… the big question either." Sora takes a deep breath, leaning into Matt. "…Where are we?"

And suddenly there is a shadow above us, and a voice that sounds way too familiar.

"This, is the continent of Folder."

We look up, shielding our eyes from the sun. He stands on a cliff above us, watching us in silence. I squint my eyes to get a better look at him. Every inch of this boy is hidden beneath something. He wears what appears to be a flowing white lab coat. Both hands are covered with skin-tight latex gloves. Attached to his arm is a weird looking watch – one that looks surprisingly like a digivice. But above all, the thing I notice is the faceless, soulless mask he gazes behind.

I frown.

"SIG…MA."

* * *

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**


	3. Memoir Three: SIGMA

**DIGIMON ANNIVERSARY**

**Memoirs of Victory**

_By Sonfaro_

_Memoir Three: Sigma_

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**

* * *

_December 18th, 2004_

_Present_

_(Digiworld - Somewhere on the Continent of Folder)_

He stands above us, his masked face hiding any emotion the moment might have otherwise brought. He's a lot taller than I remember him; almost T.K.'s height, with long platinum blonde bangs spilling over the faceless mask and riding the wind. His blue eyes are ice cold, watching the three of us with a clinical gaze.

It's all so very convincing.

"Hello again Taichi."

I don't say anything for a while. I just stare, somewhere between shock and horror I guess. I can't really believe what I'm seeing. SIGMA… in the flesh. It's almost too real to be true.

"I'm sorry," Sora steps up for me. "But who are you?"

"Who I am is irrelevant." The boy says while never taking his eyes off me. "The question Ta-i-chi, is who are you?"

"Why is he calling you that?" Matt whispers in my ear.

"It's my name." I growl back.

The boy in the mask faces us, the hint of annoyance in his voice. "You were supposed to come alone."

"Nn… Sorry. This is –"

"Sora Takenouchi and Matt Ishida," he answers with a huff. "Your names are legendary; known throughout the Digitalworld as the Digidestined of Love and Friendship. That will cause… complications."

Matt frowns, as if offended. "Who? Us?"

Sora tosses an elbow into his side and turns back to the young boy on the ledge above us. "So… where are we?"

"You don't know?" The masked human asks. When Sora shakes her head, he stares at her through the slits in his mask before speaking again. "This is the continent of Folder, several kilometers distance from the island of File in the opposite direction from Server. It was the land of our greatest triumph." The masked figure regards her coolly before turning to me. "If only you would remember."

Matt blinks, glaring at me with steel blue eyes. "You know this kid Tai?"

I bite my lip, meeting the gaze of the masked boy above us. "…Maybe."

The masked figure folds his arms. "You don't believe I'm _me_, do you?"

"I remember SIGMA. I don't remember _you_."

The boy in the mask goes to say more, when suddenly the sound of a terrible church bell rolls across the land. "…Perhaps we should table the introductions for later."

"Right." Sora shivers.

Matt frowns. "What is that thing out there?

The masked man frowns. "Something quite dangerous. Come Taichi."

He extends a gloved hand to me. I hesitate, only for a moment, before conceding and allowing this boy to pull me out of the schism in the ground. He's stronger than I remember him, lifting me up rather easily, with little to no strain. If it really is him under that mask.

"…Thanks"

"Of course," he says. "My camp is this way."

"What about us?" Sora pouts. Matt rolls his eyes.

The boy tilts his head again, his expression becoming difficult to read behind the mask. Eventually however, he bends low and extends an arm to lift a grateful Sora out of the ravine, while Matt looks on… annoyed? I roll my eyes and reach down for him. "C'mon."

Matt frowns at me and takes my hand. When the bell tone roar again makes itself known however, any built up annoyance between Matt and me evaporates.

"There it is again."

Matt's eyes furrow. "Is it getting closer?"

SIGMA ignores him, instead turning away from the ravine and heading at a steady pace away from the site of the battle. "Come." He says across his shoulder. "My camp isn't far. We have much to discuss you and I."

SIGMA points forward – more for our benefit than anyone else – and begins moving in that direction. The sun is shining bright. But I can't help this sense of dread welling up in the back of my mind.

I keep my peace though. The thousands of questions racing through my mind will be answered. That I know. Starting with who this boy is behind SIGMA's mask. And so I get moving, even as I keep my eyes focused on the boy from my past.

"…Looking forward to it."

_December 18th, 2004_

_Twenty minutes later_

_(Folder - Outskirts)_

He leads us to his camp at the base of what appears to be the entrance a cave of some sort, only a short ways away from the castle. How we managed to get here without attracting the attention of whatever these creatures out there are is anyone's guess. But it's fortunate regardless, and I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

His camp is a lot more sophisticated than I would have thought. There is a very basic tent, but behind it is some sort of machine whose purpose I can't identify hooked to a pineapple laptop. The remains of a campfire can be seen in a center, which gives me the impression that SIGMA has been here for some time. But for how long?

I don't get to ask just yet. But it's on my list.

The boy beckons us inside his tent and out of the heat, for which the three of us are extremely grateful. We duck inside and lay our jackets down where he indicates. The air inside the tent is muggy, but the sunlight isn't bearing down on us anymore.

There is a moment of silence as the masked boy stares across at Sora and Matt, and I'm not sure what's going to happen next. However, after a quick glance to me he clears his throat and begins the conversation I've been preparing for since this ghost of my past appeared.

"Thank you for meeting me like this." The boy begins.

"Who are you?"

He blinks beneath the mask. "You still don't believe me?"

"The real SIGMA told me he was done. Dead. He swore up and down to me that he'd never wear the mask again."

"I wish I could have kept my word friend. I am sorry. And I'm not sure we have the time…" He fidgets in his seat, his hand idly caressing the faceless mask beneath the chin in absentmindedness. "Suffice it to say I am here. And I need your help."

"With what?" I frown. "Why the messages on my D-Terminal?"

He nods. "I'm sorry for the interference in your life Taichi. And for the cryptic messages. I'm afraid my own system is no longer trust worthy."

"Get to the point." I'm shorter than I mean to be with him. I don't apologize.

The boy who looks like SIGMA seems to sense my tension. His voice is slow and understanding. "The point, _friend_, is that a situation has arisen that I believe only the Victory Tamer can solve. A dire circumstance that I was unable to prevent from occurring."

"And it involved sending Tai to an abandoned building to be sucked into a computer?" Matt's voice is full of _snark_, and Sora's elbow finds itself in his ribcage. He shuts up.

"Keep going," I ignore Matt's grumble. "What is it that's happened?"

"It is everything we once feared." The boy tells me in a low voice behind the mask. "The new lord of wrath has only just returned from his sojourn in the Dark Zone, and has been expanding back into his old lair. They have never truly repaired his castle, however they have pressed their way here and… therein lies the dilemma."

I blink. "What is it?"

He hesitates, and for the first time I see what looks like trepidation from his young face. "…I think they've found it."

I can feel my cheeks paling. "You mean…"

He nods. "Exactly."

There's only one thing that he can be referring to if he wants the Victory Tamer. The situation is grave indeed.

"Uh, hello?" Sora's voice picks up, reminding us that she's here. "Anyone going to explain to us what's going on?"

"Start with how you two know each other." Matt demands.

The boy answers without looking at him. "Taichi and I have met before; in a different war than yours."

Matt frowns. "War?"

The boy nods. "That's right."

Sora is quiet for a moment, before looking up to me. "Tai?"

I grimace. "Listen I… Look, just don't interfere, okay?"

"It's all right." A gloved hand finds its way to my shoulder. "Perhaps we should let the Digidestined of Friendship and Love know what they are dealing with."

"Which is?" Matt asks.

"The nightmare soldiers. The armies of the Seven Demon Lords, the rulers of Pandemonium. Tonight they mark the return of their Lord of Wrath."

Matt furrows his eyes, ignorant of what I know. I'm almost envious. "Lord of wrath? You mean..."

I frown. "Daemon."

Sora blinks. "But… we defeated Daemon and his Nightmare soldiers."

"No. The Dark Ocean has never been a prison for the likes of him. You simply delayed him."

"I don't understand." Matt glares with folded arms. "How can he jump from the Dark Ocean to the Digiworld like that?"

The boy shakes his head. "I'm not sure. There are still things about the Digiworld that are unclear to me. However, what is known is that he has escaped, and that he may have discovered its whereabouts. And worse… someone may already be using it."

"What do you mean?"

"It is my belief that the mutated Digimon you've seen are scouts reanimated." Says the masked boy. "The device can be the only explanation."

Matt frowns, his voice icy and his skepticism on full alert. "And this 'device' you keep referring to?"

"Matt." Sora warns.

He blinks. "What?"

The boy behind the mask tilts his head ever so slightly, his index finger tracing the eye of his mask. "It's an artifact of great importance. Its power is unparalleled."

Sora bites her lip. "An artifact?"

He nods. "Of an ancient significance. No one is truly sure where it came from. Some believe it's always existed. Some believe the Harmonious Ones were its creators. Some believe it is the very foundation of life itself."

Matt yawns. "Yeah? What's it called?"

SIGMA looks up to him with a frown. "The Digimental."

_July 29th, 2000_

_(12:31pm Japanese Time - 10:31pm GCST [Golden City Standard Time])_

_(Folder – The Golden City)_

_It shines gold in the darkness. Even as the black fog swallows the blond inside, it still shines._

_The Digimental._

_Focus. Only one shot. Make it count._

_Blue wings unfurled. Flying. Partner understands the stakes. Knows what will happen. He flies. Faster than we've ever flown before. _

_Below is death. Smoke. It rises. Nostrils filled wit it. Eyes watering from the pain of it. The city of gold under siege. Angels everywhere falling._

_Still light shines. Even as the enemy backs away._

_Lean in. Unzip cape. Let it loose. Dragging us down. Slide goggles across face. Block out smoke. Block out pain. Block out fear. Keep eyes on gold. Have to get there._

_"Heh… Too late Bug."_

_Can hear him over the war. Over death. Dark voice. Troubled voice. Haunted. Fly faster! Got to get there before he –_

_"ArcaDemon."_

_As soon as the 'mon' comes out, I know. No matter how hard I dig my heels into his flank. No matter how hard I grit my teeth. I know I'm too late. _

_Far too late._

_"Game over!"_

_December 18th, 2004_

_Time Unknown_

_(Folder - Outskirts)_

"Tai!"

Sora.

Her voice shakes me up. Wakes me up. Had I been dreaming?

I blush. Sora's eyes are still staring at me. Through me. Searching for whatever has me shaken up on the inside. I frown and put the mental armor back around my head. I can't tell them. How can I tell them?

"I'm fine." I finally lie.

"You don't look fine." Matt states with a raised eyebrow.

I glare back at him, and he shrugs. Sora doesn't say anything, staring at me with a frown, waiting for me to say something. My eyes switch back and forth between them, before finally sighing. "I'm fine."

The boy raises an eyebrow. "You remember?"

I bite my lip. "Yeah. I do."

"So you know why I called you? Why it had to be you?"

I run a hand through my hair. "No, I… This thing was powerful. The most powerful thing I ever handled anyway. It was hidden for a reason."

"I understand that." He tells me calmly. "But if indeed Daemons forces discover its location, incredible harm would befall our world. That is why I needed the Victory Tamer. You are the only one strong enough to take hold of its power!"

"Victory Tamer…" Matt tilts his head. "You keep calling him that. What does that mean?"

"Nothing." I tell him.

"It means that our friend is the very best at our occupation," He exaggerates. "He has never lost a battle. Isn't that right?"

"Not that it matters." Matt scratches his nose. "But Tai has lost plenty of battles."

"No. His _team_ may have. But when it mattered… when it was just him and his true partner, Taichi was unstoppable."

Sora frowns. "_True_ partner…"

"That's enough of that," I interrupt with a huff. "My _true partner_ is Agumon. Always has been. And besides, you still haven't told me the whole truth have you? How did you get here? Why all the secrecy? What else is going on here?"

Here he averts his eyes, as if what he would say next were the most embarrassing things he'd ever say in his life. "There were… are… I was being watched back in the real world. Carefully. I cannot explain it all but I fear that my method of arrival into the Digital world may elicit a wave of undesirable entities. The less that is known for now the better."

I frown. "I can't help someone I can't trust."

At this he looks… almost hurt. "After all we've been through, can you truly say that?"

He looks more than offended, hurt. As if simply voiceing my concern somehow tore his heart from his chest. I frown , fidgeting with my boot, before sighing. "I'm sorry."

He bites his lip. "Everyone who handled this thing was lost to its power Taichi. Everyone but you. In _you_ lay something that was strong enough to handle the ancient power of the Digimental. It had to be you I found Taichi. I couldn't have called on anyone else."

I look into his eyes. Even behind the mask he seems sincere. With a huff I bow my head. "Fine. I don't really know who you are under that mask but for the sake of argument I'm choosing to trust you."

"That is all that I ask."

Matts furrowed brow deepens. "Does Daemon actually know the location or are his people still guessing?"

"I do not know." SIGMA admits. "What I do know is that his minions have been exploring what remains of the Castle of Wrath. If it is true that Daemon is searching for the Digimental then times are dire. At present he has only sent out feelers, but soon his entire army could descend on the site and there would be no means to stop him. We are in luck however, because with us is the man who hid the Digimental in the first place. If he can lead me too it, I will be able to seal it so that its powers will never be controlled by a villain such as Daemon."

"I'm no good without a partner," I tell him.

He shakes his head. "That isn't true and you know it. You have a gift Taichi."

I grit my teeth. "SIGMA…"

He leans in closer, his eyes searching me. "Taichi, I am out of options. You know full well what that thing is capable of. And what disasters could befall the world if it falls into the wrong hands. You know better than anyone. Right? Well, the wrong hand seeks it out now Taichi. And they've disturbed something sinister. Those monsters out there. It's their doing. We have to stop them before something dreadful happens. You're our last hope."

I frown. "No. I'm not."

"You know you are. I would have tried _him_first if I could. There would have been… other complications however."

That gives me a chuckle. "I'll bet."

Sora blinks. "Who?"

"Another friend?" Asks Matt.

_I see blue wings unfurl. Blue wings and an endless sky._

"It's… Complicated." I say.

Matt throws his hands into the air in frustration. "This whole business is complicated."

"But… if the Digiworld is in danger, then we have to do something." Sora furrows her eyes and looks to me. "Right?"

I shift my eyes away from her. "…Right."

Matt glances between the two of us, troubled. "If this… '_Digimental' _is as powerful as you say; we need to get into contact with the others."

SIGMA shakes his head. "There is no time. Daemon's scouts could be reaching the Digimental as we speak."

"And that would be bad… right?" Sora raises a finger to her lips.

He nods. "Very."

"And how are we supposed to get there?" Asks Matt.

The masked boy doesn't miss a step. "There is a secret passage way through the old caves. It will take us to the belly of the castle. If you can lead us from there to the device, you and I can take hold of it once again."

"And seal it away forever. Right?"

"Of course." He nods towards Sora. And then he turns to me. "That is why I need the you Taichi. The real you."

I blink. "The real me?"

"I need the Taichi who stormed Demons castle. I need the Taichi who slew everything in his quest for victory. The Taichi willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get the job done. I don't need the Tai who sits idly by and allows his lesser the satisfaction of battle when danger comes. This world has seen enough of _him_." The boy in the mask clasps two gloved fists together, his eyes pleading with me. "I need to know who you are Taichi. The kind of _boy_ who is satisfied only after an adventure? Or the kind of _man _ready for war."

He's asking me to go to that dark place. A past I left behind. A past I never wanted to remember. I shut my eyes. The glow of the Digimental calls out to me even now, even in the darkness of my mind.

"Tai?" I hear.

"Taichi?" I hear.

I open my eyes.

"Let's go to war."

* * *

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**


	4. Memoir Four: Secrets

**DIGIMON ANNIVERSARY**

**Memoirs of Victory**

_By Sonfaro_

_Memoir Four: Secrets_

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**

* * *

_December 18th, 2004_

_Present_

_(Folder – Cave Entrance)_

The cave is like many others in the Digiworld; gloomy and mysterious in a way that makes your flesh crawl. The air inside is cool, which is a positive, but also muggy and stale. Everything in here looks twisted and wrong. Even the stalactites bear down on us like some monsters teeth. There's a sense of danger around every rock, every corner, every shadow of this place; and I can't help wonder for what purpose we keep descending down this stone path.

It's creeping out my friends too.

"This doesn't feel right." Sora pouts, hugging close to Matt out of instinct. "How do we know we're going the right way?"

The boys answer is an uninterested huff. "This is the path that prisoners used to escape from Demon's dungeon. It's how word of Demon's plans escaped into Taichi's hands. This path was the catalyst for our final battle."

"Final battle, huh?" Matt yawns before peeking in my direction. "Sounds ominous Ta-i-chi."

He drags out each syllable of my name with sinister articulation. _Jerk_. I turn to glare at him, but he's not paying any attention anymore. _Double-jerk_.

We continue onward in relative silence after that. There isn't much to say. Or rather there isn't much I want to say.

How could all this be happening – now when our own world suddenly has turned its back on us? How can the life I've forgotten be racing back towards me?

How does he remember all this?

I'm thrown from my thoughts by a strange sound snapping in the distance. I immediately stop, suddenly hyper aware of everything around me, trying to locate the origin of that sound. My stance riles up Matt and Sora, who stop in their tracks and turn to face me. "What is it?" Sora asks.

I frown. "Does anyone else feel like they're being watched?"

The boy in the mask looks down to his device. "There does appear to be another presence not far from us."

"Which way?" Sora whispers.

"There," the boy points just past Matt's shoulder, to a dark area just beyond. "Just ahead."

"I'll check it out." Matt decides after a moment's hesitation.

"Be careful." Sora whispers back.

He nods, and then takes a couple of steps away from the three of us to have a look around. We're all silent, waiting for word from a sign from him. After several moments, Matt turns back towards us, shrugging.

"I don't see any –"

He is cut off instantly by a blur of blue.

We're all thrown into a panic, as a thick monster the size of a large dog slams hard into Matt's chest. It takes me only a second to realize that it's one of those creatures we noticed before, the little blue armless Agumon who only moments before were running for their lives.

"_WaiyuuMahssklass_?" I hear it growl, but it's hard to understand exactly what it means. I couldn't care less about what it says though. Its teeth are only inches away from Matt's throat. That's what matters most to me. The beast barks menacingly in Matt's face as my friend struggles to remove his attacker from his torso.

"Matt!" Sora races towards her boyfriends assailant, and I'm instantly reminded of an eleven year old with a mean bicycle kick. With a humph she hops once and kicks the little blue ball of a monster off of him with all her might. The creature in question sails in the air for a moment before landing again on his feet, apparently no worse for ware and extremely upset.

"Gaossmon…"

That voice belongs to the masked boy, whose body language reads of all sorts of confusion; standing somewhere between curious and horrified.

The monster in questions face flashes its own set of conflicting emotions: fear, and blind hate. It's body swivels between Matt and the boy, drool crawling from his giant maw. "_TOohMahssksmaanss_!"

By then it's too late. I had a mean bicycle kick myself once upon a time.

My boot finds its way into the little blue Digimon's underside, sending the distracted little critter flying through the air again. He lands several meters away from us, a and isn't so quick to jump up this time. It's eyes shift between the four of us in panicked fashion, as if realizing for once tha the odds were against him.

With a quick grunt the thing turns tail and rushes towards the opposite wall. Just as the crazy thing was about to slam into the stone it opens its mouth and takes a bite out of the cave wall. An entire chunk of stone is ripped into and before we know what has happened the little beast has drilled a hole in the wall with which to escape.

All too soon, things are quiet again.

The whole ordeal only took about thirty seconds.

"You alright?" I rush to their side in a heartbeat.

"Yeah." Matt glares at me but nods anyway. "Next time I volunteer to investigate strange sounds… will one of you punch me?"

"You got it." Sora giggles at him, and he rolls his eyes.

Before she can help him up however, SIGMA pushes his way through to Matt, looking at him with an intense blue glare. "Did the creature say anything to you! Anything at all?"

Matt makes a face. "Just… some gibberish. Why?"

SIGMA remains silent, rising from Matt with a huff and turning back towards the path. Matt glares at the back of his head, but takes Sora's hand.

"This is why we need our partners." I huff at SIGMA reaching down to help Sora pick Matt up off the floor.

He shakes his head. "It's much too late for that."

Matt dusts off his trousers, but his eyes never take their skeptical gaze of SIGMA. "What was that thing?"

"A Gaossmon." SIGMA explains, examining the hole in the stone briefly before turning back to us.

Sora frowns. "Gaossmon?"

He nods. "A subclass of the Agumon line. They're subterranean creatures with poor eyesight and a terrible appetite. They attack with Kilo Flame and Headbutt." I can feel the boy sneer behind that mask. "As violent as they are unintelligent."

Sora extends her lip. "That was kinda mean."

SIGMA shrugs. "They are Gaossmon. Nothing more, and nothing less."

_Platinum blond hair, pale brown eyes and a crooked smile that belies the pain inside._

I shake off the image. "Let's get moving before he comes back."

Sora fidgets behind me. "Maybe we should go back to the surface."

"No." The boy in the mask states with finality. "Every second we waste is a second that those scouts get to finding the Digimental."

He turns and walks on with a huff. I sigh. Things seem to be spiralling out of control. But we have to keep pushing forward. No matter what.

_December 18th, 2004_

_Twenty Minutes Later_

_(Folder – Cave Recesses)_

We've gone much deeper than I would have expected, and it's only getting darker. It's at the point now where the three of us have taken out our digivices. The natural energies inside give us light in the darkness, though it isn't much. Along the cave walls our lights pick up the remains of torch holders and emblems, abandoned like the rest of this ruin.

"Is it just me," Matt muses. "Or does anyone get the feeling this hallway was used recently?"

I shake my head. "It does feel like someone else is with us."

"But what kind of creature would live all the way down – "

A hand is across her mouth before she can scream. Her wide eyes stare off at some blue figure not far off. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, allowing me to see the creature more fully. It's a pale tint of blue, with white streaks. Sharp fangs and claws at the end of each leg tell me that this long tailed creature isn't to be messed with lightly. We pause on the road and crouch low, hoping the creature hasn't seen us.

"What is that?" Matt asks.

SIGMA ignores him once again, instead musing to himself the way Izzy does when he finds a new program to hack. "Interesting. I didn't think…"

"What?"

The boy turns his masked head to face me. "This is a Salamandermon… or a _kind_ of Salamandermon. Lift your digivice."

Matt shakes his head. "It'll see us."

"That is doubtful." Is all the masked boy will say.

Curious, I lift my digivice. Just above the row of fangs are two giant eyes the color of tar. Something is definitely wrong with them; it's near-white lids droop lazily across them and appear to have never moved. I lift the device higher and can see the iris, pale and dead, limply rolling about the near black socket.

"It's blind." I whisper, and that causes us to relax. Doesn't make us feel any better though.

"Incredible," says the boy behind the mask. "To think that it could survive such an alteration."

Sora bites her lip. "Did the digimental do this?"

SIGMA is quiet for a moment. "It is possible."

"Possible? You mean you don't know?"

"I have only ever seen two humans utilize the power of a Digimental. And only one could truely control it."

"...Tai?" Matt frowns and turns to me. They all do, as if waiting for some big answer.

I can only shrug my shoulders.

"You really don't remember do you?" The masked boy asks me, placing a gloved hand on my shoulder.

I sigh. "I remember. Bits and pieces. The big stuff; you, the Digimental... our terrible war. But... It all feels like a dream."

"This must be frustrating for you."

I glare at him. "It's annoying as hell."

"Sorry to interrupt your trip down memory lane," Matt snorts. "But how are we going to get around?"

I frown. "We're not, lets double back. I'm sure there is another path that will lead to–"

"Shh!" SIGMA raises his hand quickly to silence us. "Just because it is blind doesn't mean it can't hear us."

We all shut up, eyes wide. But it's to late. I look up and notice that the Salamandermon… or whatever this monstrocity is now… has lifted its deathly head up into the air. It's dead eyes continue to roll sideways, but it's forked tongue darts in and out of its mouth, very much active. Suddenly it growls, it's arrow shaped head turning towards us with malice.

_"MmmmAAhhhssskMmmonnn."_

Our blood runs cold. The Salamandermon raises it's neck up in the air, it's nostrils flaring. It can's see us. But it can smell us. And it doesn't like us one bit. I wave for us to back up, hoping that we can double back and lose this thing in one of the hallways we came from. But before we run for our lives, something else manages to save us.

There is the sound of a bell tone roar.

The sound causes the creature to stop in it's tracks. Us too. We look at the reaction the blind monster makes at the sound of the far away dragon, suddenly not so frightened of it anymore. It's legs are literally shaking. A second roar sends the creature skittering away, down the hallway away from us.

I shake my head. Today just gets stranger and stranger.

"...Is everyone okay?" I whisper.

Sora takes a deep breath before nodding lightly. "Yes. I'm fine."

"These things are getting bigger." Matt whispers staring off after the lizards escape route.

SIGMA nods. "Then we must be getting close."

Matt makes a face. "If you say so."

SIGMA ignores him. He turns with a sudden shift of the feet and heads deeper into the cave. I step forward, following, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to find a pair of blue eyes glaring at me.

"I don't like this Tai."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. This is getting way over our heads, and we're partnerless down here"

I knock Matt's hand off my arm. "We don't have a choice. I may not remember as much as I'd like, but I know what we're dealing with. If Daemon get a hold of it we're screwed."

"It would at least help if we knew what the hell this thing was!" Matt's voice raises in intensity.

"Taichi?"

I turn to find SIGMA a few meters off, waiting.

"Coming." I tell him. Swinging around to my disappointed friends, I keep my voice low but firm. "Stay, or come along. Make up your minds."

There's silence for only a few seconds before Sora answers. "I'm with you."

Matt's head swivels to her with eyes wide and confused, before he rolls them in the back of his head with a huff. "Fine. But this reeks Tai. And I think you know it."

I do. Theres something simply off about the whole thing. Something that happened that I can't remember just yet. But the Digimental is not to be taken lightly. If it falls back into enemy hands, the world could again suffer. Until that device has been safetly hidden once again, I can not abandon the mission. I need to see this through till the end.

_December 18th, 2004_

_Moments Later_

_(Folder – Palace Secret Entrance)_

Our wandering takes us down deeper into the darkness of the cave, the air around us becoming thick and heavy. It gets surprisingly cold the farther we go as well, with both Sora and Matt reapplying their respective winter jackets thanks to the icy chill. SIGMA presses on, his expression impossible to read with that mask across his face. We continue like this – awkwardly silent, and on constant alert – until we reach the most obvious end of our destination.

It's a pair of doors, huge and foreboding. Painted blood red and covered with spiked stubs, the whole thing looks like something straight out of a horror movie. Someone has taken this way before, for the doors lie ajar ever so slightly – enough that the four of us should be able to squeeze through.

SIGMA halts several meters away from the door, and raises a gloved hand for us to do the same. We crowd around him, our eyes locked on the obvious destination, staring at it in wonder and horror.

"There it is." SIGMA states beneath the mask. "The entrance to Demons castle."

"Inside this place is the digimental we're looking for?" asks Sora.

The boy nods. "Among other items of the macabre, yes."

"Somebody got there first." I growl.

"Then we shall have to hope your memory is faster. Come, we have to cross the threshold before one of those mutations arrives."

"Why?"

We haven't even gotten close to the doors before his voice stops all of us in our tracks. I turn with a raised eyebrow to find Matt Ishida, defiantly standing against us with arms crossed and blue eyes buried beneath a heated glare. I frown myself. "Matt?"

"Before we take a step further. Why?"

Sora shakes her head. "Why what?"

"We do not have time for this." SIGMA argues. "At any moment those Gaossmon–"

"Yeah I get it, the Gaossmon and the mutant things and Daemon are around. What I want to know is: why are they after you?"

SIGMA is silent for a moment, his body language hard to decipher. "What are you talking about?"

Matt takes a step towards him, refusing to uncross his arms. "Whenever they see you, these monsters stop what they are doing and they charge. Something about you makes them very angry. So. Why are they after you?"

SIGMA lowers his head, his eyes narrowing into a glare behind the mask. "They attacked you too."

"Yeah. Till they saw you. And then they completely let me go. Heck, one of them thought we were the same person."

SIGMA's expression remains cold. "So he did say something?"

"Yeah. 'Two Masks'… that monster was after you 'Mask man'. Or did you not notice them calling you that? What did you do to tick these things off!"

I step between them, facing Matt with a glare and grabbing his collar. "Ease off him."

He shoves me off, his expression a mix of annoyance and anger. "What? You're taking his side now?"

"Whose side? You're the one yelling. What are you accusing him of?"

He glares at me then turns his head. "I don't know. All I'm saying is I'm in the Digiworld without Gabumon and getting attacked by monsters who want to eat your best friend."

That hurts. "We're not best – "

"Whatever!"

"Matt, Tai! You're being loud," Sora shushes us.

Matt ignores her, the sides of his ears burning red the way they always do when I cross the line with a prank or a joke. But his fury isn't fully directed at me today. He slides past me with a hand and a little pressure and finds himself face to face with the soulless mask of SIGMA. "Admit it _Majora_. You've done something to them. Haven't you! Heck, I'm starting to wonder if these things even know what we're searching for. They don't seem to care about anything but eating you!"

It's impossible to read SIGMA's expression beneath the mask. "What are you asking me?"

Matt catches the boy by the collar and brings him in close. "Just what I said: these monsters keep attacking us. And I think that you know why. Don't you?"

There is a silence, dreadful and unnerving. Neither of my blonde companions says anything, though their eyes are doing a whole lot of glaring.

Sora lays an arm on her boy-friends shoulder. "Matt?"

I cross my arms behind SIGMA. "What is your problem?"

Matt doesn't budge, burning holes into SIGMA's mask. "I don't like being left out of the loop. I don't like random magical things I've never heard of. I don't like mutant Digimon trying to kill me because I'm hanging out with some _Freddy Krueger_ wannabe. And to be perfectly honest, I don't like _you_. So. Start talking."

There's a tense silence after that. No one gives way. Matt is glaring at SIGMA. SIGMA is staring back. Sora stands behind Matt in confusion, and between them is me, struggling to keep everyone together long enough to keep us alive down here.

The tension is disrupted however, by the distant sound of a bell-tone roar.

"That sound…"

"The creature," I swallow spit. "It isn't far away."

SIGMA whirls around on his feet, passing me and entering inside the hidden doorway. "We have no more time for arguing. We must – "

A blur of blue silences him.

"Gaossmon!"

The thing came out of nowhere with the tenacity of a pit bull, catching the masked boy by the back of his lab coat and dragging him to the ground with his teeth. Sora and I rush forward, but by the time we reach him the monster has already sunk its teeth into his arm. He screams beneath the mask, his voice cracking through the pain. A swift kick from Sora's heel sends the little blue devil careening away, and I rush by his side.

"Are you hurt?"

Beneath his mask, I see blue eyes blink in an effort to wake. "I… I am fine."

I bite my lip, noticing his wounds in the corner of my eye. Your wrist isn't supposed to bend that way. "Your arm is broken."

SIGMA struggles to sit up. "I am fine… quickly, we must hurry."

"Guys!"

We all turn in the direction Matt is shouting. The Gaossmon has gotten up, crouched on its haunches and growling at us with intense fury. That's not what has Matt rattled.

Behind that Gaossmon, the small orbs shine in the darkness like stars, and the glint of pale white teeth can be seen in what little illumination the cave can give. There are several more eyes in the darkness, with each second another pair, until it's evident that the pack of Gaossmon outnumber us by quite a lot.

"There are so many of them," Sora says breathlessly.

"They followed us down," SIGMA spouts from behind the mask. "The earlier attack was only one scout"

"Great. We're screwed." Matt huffs in terror. I'm almost inclined to agree.

One by one the Gaossmon step out of the shadows, their beady eyes locked onto their prey - us. The four of us try to back away from them, knowing that we wouldn't be able to outrun them on foot. But, even partnerless, we'll give them a good beating before they tear us apart. Small victories, right?

They step towards us menacingly, drool caressing down their maws, until a familiar sound stops them all in their tracks. It rings again, shaking the little cave expanse and leaving us all uneasy. I hold my breath.

The bell-tone roar is closer.

I turn back to SIGMA, concerned. He cradles the device on his arm in an effort to protect the injury, his eyes betraying none of the pain he should be feeling. "How… fortuitous." He mumbles beneath his mask.

The Gaossmon begin to stop where they are, their heads pointed skyward, golden eyes searching the ceiling for signs of the coming mutation. The one in front, SIGMA's attacker, focuses directly above us, before turning down to glare at SIGMA. "_Monstarr_…"

It doesn't have time to tell us who it's talking about.

The massive shape of the bladed blue monstrosity breaks through the ceiling; all bulk and steel and death. The horrible sound of its roar echoes throughout the chasm like an organ in a haunted cathedral, its massive form barreling at an alarming rate towards the Gaossmon pack on the opposite side. The little blue things have little time before the monster hits the ground, hard. It tears through the side of the ledge like nothing, it's razor like horns and spines breaking through rock and stone with ease.

Gaossmon dash left and right of it in an attempt to escape, but not all are so fortunate. Some are crushed upon impact; some swiped by it's dangerous spiked tail, and some unlucky digicores are riped apart by it's fangs.

The monster is huge. Definitely champion or higher, steel blades shooting from it's back and blue-green scales covering its body like ancient armor. Up close I can see what appears to be tubes all along the monsters body of flesh and steel, jutting out unnaturally from its sides. It hangs a moment in the unstable crater it's created, before opening its mouth and slamming it hard onto the ground. It takes me a moment to notice that it's digging; through the side of the ledge it just landed in and under the stone and earth.

In a matter of seconds the monster is gone.

For a while everything is quiet. The entire Gaossmon pack is left decimated, a hole hangs in the ceiling, and a tunnel the width of a school bus lays in the center of the cave.

And that isn't even the worst of it.

I only look up for a moment, but that moment is all it takes to send the blood racing along my body in fear. Cracks begin to form in the ceiling, forming from the gaping hole above us allowing the light of the sun to bear down inside. Dust floats down to us from the roof of the cave at first, then pebbles, then small stones. It comes to me in one frightening second.

The cave is about to collapse.

"Quickly! Inside!" I shout, but by then it is already too late.

Huge chunks of rock start dropping to the ground around us, some very close to striking us. I don't remember yelling at Sora to get SIGMA inside, though I must have, as she nods and catches the boy by the good arm and drags him through the door. Matt and I try to follow suit, when a boulder very nearly catches me in the skull just before we enter the door. Matt and I look to the ceiling. Above us a massive stalactite is set to fall, and if I'm right it'll hit both me and Matt straight down our middle, killing us both.

We share a look.

Without warning both of Matt's palms find their way into my chest. He pushes, hard, and I stumble on my heels from the velocity. The next thing I know I am dropped painfully on the ground on the other side of the doors. I take a second to process what has happened, and before I can scream for him the stalactite has fallen where I had just stood. Dust and smoke pour briefly through the door before hundreds of boulders and the like begin piling in front of the entrance. By the time the whole thing is over I realize that the doors have been blocked off, leaving the three of us on one side…

And Matt Ishida on the other.

I panic, the idea of a world without the annoying _four-time-jerk_ filling my heart with sorrow. "Matt! Matt, answer me buddy! Are you alright!"

At first I hear nothing, and I fear the worst. But then, behind the crimson door I hear the faint sound of a cough and low obscenities. "…Barely." He mutters. "_Darnit_, there's dust all over my good jeans."

Sora's brow furrows. Pushing me away she begins pulling rocks away from the pile with frantic pace and incredible focus. "Hold on hon'," she says with determination. "We're gonna dig you out. Don't worry."

"I'm fine," I hear him say. "I'm not buried underneath thing. There's just a wall of crap between us now. It's going to make me going forward with you… difficult."

I can hear his tone. "…are you sure?"

"Yeah. Looks like you three are on your own."

"That's not how it works Ishida!" Sora barks from her side. She's pulling what rocks she can away from the door, trying to claw her way out. "We're coming to get you, don't worry!"

"The Digidestined of Friendship is fine," SIGMA states impatiently. "We must continue."

"We are not just leaving him like this." Sora turns sharply, brown eyes glaring at the two of us.

I bite my lip. Her fingers are starting to bleed. "It's just a little further. We'll be there and back before you know it."

Her glare narrows. And now it focusses on me. "I'm. Not. Leaving."

"…Go with 'em babe."

She blinks and turns back to the rubble. "Matt?"

I hear a shuffle from behind the ruined doorway. "There's a little tunnel left over here. Looks like it leads away from the door and into something else…There's air coming through. It may be a way out. If it is, I'll try to call someone to let them know what's happening. Whatever's jamming us can't be jamming the entire area. I'll find reception somewhere. Besides… If this digimental thing really is as important as Tai says it is, you have to find it. And fast."

As always, Matt makes sense. That doesn't make Sora feel any better for leaving him mind you. Her pretty face remains scrunched into a pout as she tries to think of an appropriate retort that'll shut up her boyfriend. But nothing comes, and with a huff she leans away from the rubble. "Okay."

"I'm fine Sora, really." Matts voice is teasing and patient. And then it chills. "I'm not the one you need to worry about right now."

I frown but say nothing.

Sora doesn't seem to register what he's tasked her with. She takes a breath to control her emotions and nods once at the ruined door. "I love you."

"I'm not dead." I hear Matt snort and I can imagine him rolling his eyes. And yet, without a moment's hesitation afterwards, he states quite softly, "I love you too."

"C'mon," I tell her. "We're inside now. Just a little further."

Sora lingers a moment longer by the mess at the door. I hear her take a breath and then she rises, quickly and quietly to face us. Her eyes are shimmering with a fire I haven't seen in a long time. A fire that' is directed at me. "Alright then. Let's go find this _digimental_. It _is_ important… isn't it?"

"Y-yeah."

"Well _Tamer_? Lead on."

Her words cut through me. She's angry. This won't end well between us. But we have to go deeper. This is to important to simply ignore. And if Sora Takenouchi has to be mad at me for it… then so be it.

Without another word I turn and head in the direction of the final battle for control of this continent, falling further and further into darkness.

* * *

**M-E-M-O-I-R-S**


End file.
